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Alcohol may soon carry labels warning women of the dangers of drinking while pregnant or planning pregnancy -- but the wine industry says they are a waste of time.
The Alcohol Advisory Council (Alac) lodged an application with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) last February for the labels to be mandatory on beer, wine and spirit bottles, and expect a decision to be made in May.
Alac deputy chief executive Sandra Kirby said the message for pregnant women and those trying to conceive to steer clear of alcohol was a move they had pushed for nearly a decade.
"We see health advisory labels as one strategy that would support that.
"We know from research that we've done that there's still a large number of women who don't know that any alcohol can harm the unborn baby."
Ms Kirby said the information was largely directed to women who were trying to get pregnant.
The process for approval of the application was complicated as all Australian Federal States as well as the New Zealand Government had to back the call for warning labels.
Ms Kirby said she had no idea what level of support there was in Australia, but they had the backing of the Government here.
Wine Institute of New Zealand chief executive Philip Gregan said he did not think the warning labels would work.
"In simple terms we don't think it will work and we don't think it will make any difference to wine sales," Mr Gregan said.
"We have lots of statements that we are required to put on labels -- standards drinks, various additive declarations -- and we don't believe anybody reads them and we don't believe they will make any difference."
The United States already carries labels warning about the dangers of drinking while pregnant as it is a legal requirement.
In Britain, health authorities are planning a similar move, with cigarette-packet style warnings suggested such as "know your limits" and "avoid alcohol if you are pregnant or trying to conceive".
Last year the Ministry of Health issued guidelines that recommended zero intake of alcohol for pregnant women.
- NZPA
